While the two films The Postman Always Rings Twice and Ossessione share similarities due to being based on the novel by James Cain, the similarities end at the plot and the film noir element in both movies. Cain’s novel dramatizes the dark side of human obsession through greed, lust, and murder and the Italian version of the film follows the novel employing realism to highlight those aspects of the human condition. The American version, however, loses the intent of Cain’s work by falling into the trap of exploiting capitalism, materialism, and the glamour of Hollywood. Those elements combine to lessen the impact of the emotion involved in the stony and turns the film into a trite representation of humanity.

The first difference between the two films The Postman Always Rings Twice and Ossessione lies in the titles. The Italian film, Ossessione, translates to obsession and indicates theature of the movie. The Postman Always Rings Twice, the same title as the book, plays a role in the ending of the film but because of the director’s changes from the original novel, it has little meaning to the viewer and seems, not only contrived, but out of place in what should be a gritty tale. By employing the artifice of explaining the title to the viewer, Tay Gamett’s representation comes off as condescending and unappealing. The believability of the lead character, already tarnished by the lack of true emotion evident in the portrayal by John Garfield, becomes laughable in this final scene where he finds redemption for his acts in the analogous interpretation of a person waiting for a letter.

While both works rely on the novel by James M. Cain, the Italian version, which was pirated from the author, adheres to the author’s intent while the American version alters plot, story, and the subtle nuances that make the tale believable. The bastardization of the novel by director Tay Garnett weakens the plot and in many places renders the storyline unbelievable. The viewer is left with a sense of dissatisfaction as unaccounted for instances develop in the film that suspected you since the bathtub incident" by the district attorney causes the viewer to snort inexisted.

Ossessione, on the other hand, relies on the novel to build a convincing case against Gino, producing witnesses whose testimony leads police investigators to the murderer. The dramatic irony produced as Gino and Giovanna struggle with their love, mistrust, and fear of each other while police are preparing for their arrest, builds suspense for the viewer and develops into a struggle between wanting to see justice done and wanting the lovers to succeed in defying authority and building a lasting relationship.

He lives alone. He moves from town to town with no destination, only in search of money to help him survive. He has no mercy towards the wicked and he keeps no alliances; only the highest bidder is his friend. And yet, when you think that he is a totally wicked soul, his conscience comes and betrays his so-called ‘morals’, and he puts his own life in jeopardy to help another cursed soul. In the end, just when you think he has drawn his last breath, he comes to exact his revenge. Then he moves on to the next town to seek new work and other tired souls in need of a hero.

This is the basis for the two movies I watched, Yojimbo, and Last Man Standing. For the sake of not causing any confusion, I’ll be using the character names from the Last Man Standing version. John Smith is a bodyguard for hire. John enters a desolate town knowing no one, only searching for work to get him further down the road. The town is controlled by two rival gangs, the Strazi gang and the Doyle gang. Neither gang is exactly professional. Once John notices the inefficiencies of the gangs, he realizes there is money to be made and comments that scum like these are better off dead. He then focuses on finding somewhere to stay. The only person John has honest discussions with is with Joe, the shopkeeper who runs the bar and hotel where he stays. Joe has seen too much violence and just wants to be left alone.

The story lines for Yojimbo and Last Man Standing are quite similar, but there are a few small differences. In Yojimbo, the rival gangs were once partners and after a feud were split up~while in Last Man Standing the Strazi and Doyle gangs had always hated each other. In Yojimbo, the two gangs have a truce in the middle of the film, while in Last Man Standing, the gangs have this truce from the beginning. And in Yojimbo the rival gangs are backed by merchants, but in Last Man Standing, the gangs are all alone in raising profits.

I think the biggest difference between the movies is the fact that the Last Man Standing version has John Smith as a narrator. In Yojimbo, there are long stretches where Sanjuro (John Smith in Last Man Standing) simply walks around for a few minutes with no outcome shown, and just moves on to the next scene. And while I realize that this was a typical method used for Japanese westerns, I can’t say I find it very effective. Personally, I prefer having the narrator for the simple fact that if you’re watching Yojimbo, you’re playing a guessing game as to what he is thinking. In Last Man Standing, you know what he is thinking, and you can get an idea about where John Smith is going with the gangs, and you know his intentions aren’t all horrible. In Yojimbo, you think Sanjuro is totally evil until he shows mercy and saves the woman and by then the movie is nearly over. I find it wiser to have the narrator and let John Smith convince you of the wisdom of his ideas and his methods. Not only is he easier to like, I think he is easier to understand.

Another basic difference is the vices of John Smith (Sanjuro). In Yojimbo, Sanjuro only drinks. He never has any love interest and his only vices are drinking and killing. But in Last Man Standing, one of the first things John Smith does once he is settled is go and pick up a prostitute. Besides women, John Smith drinks much more frequently than the Sanjuro character. Once again, I have to say I prefer Last Man Standing in their treatment of the main character and his vices. Much of the movie is spent on trying to portray the idea that John Smith (Sanjuro) is such an evil and immoral person. You would think that if he were that immoral his vices would be greater in number. Therefore, John Smith seems more realistic than Sanjuro, the assassin with morals.

A final major difference between Yojirnbo and Last Man Standing is the development of female characters. In Yojimbo, Sanjuro has very little contact with women, and the ones he does meet, he never builds any kind of relationship with them. To me he seems a little inhuman in this regard since a basic need for all people is companionship, and it appears the only companion Sanjuro desires is his sword. In Last Man Standing, John Smith finds Lucy, the girl of main gang boss Strazi. And even though he mainly uses her for information, once Lucy has been badly mistreated, John gives her money to help her leave and go home. This is the fatal flaw of Yojimbo: they show a man who is a cold-blooded killer, and then at the very end they try to give you an idea that he isn’t such an awful person. But while they give you this idea, they really don’t make a great effort to build on the idea. I found it to be more confusing than compassionate.